How Mountain Towns and Utilities Can Shape a Sustainable Energy Future

Mountain towns face unique challenges when it comes to energy and climate resilience. Physical geography places many ski areas and mountain towns at the headwaters of critical watersheds, where forest health, wildfire risk, and water quality intersect. Energy infrastructure must not only meet the demands of residents and visitors but also accommodate extreme weather and seasonal fluctuations.

A key challenge is balancing the need for reliable energy with the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A session at the 2025 Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit in Breckenridge, Colorado delved into how local governments can leverage the current regulatory environment to get utilities to do more around energy solutions and infrastructure resilience.

Featuring insights from sustainability leaders and legal experts involved in the Mountain Energy Project—a landmark Colorado utility proceeding—the discussion highlighted practical strategies, coalition-building, and regulatory engagement as tools for mountain communities to shape their energy future.

The Challenge in Mountain Communities: Navigating Energy Infrastructure and Climate Risks

In Summit County, Colorado and surrounding communities served by Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel Energy), a forecasted peak hour natural gas supply shortfall on the coldest winter days spurred the Mountain Energy Project. This utility proposal aimed to address potential gas shortages without resorting to costly and carbon-intensive conventional pipeline expansions.

As Jessica Burley , Sustainability and Parking Manager for Breckenridge, explained, “The application filed by Public Service sought to avoid a $300 million investment in a new natural gas pipeline through a plan that included non-pipeline alternatives—measures that can defer, reduce or eliminate the need for new gas infrastructure by reducing demand.”

These non-pipeline alternatives (NPA) include electrification programs, building envelope improvements, and demand response initiatives. The Mountain Energy Project showcased how mountain communities can play an active role in shaping such plans to align with local climate goals, affordability concerns, and resilience needs.

Building Coalitions: The Power of Collective Local Voices

Engaging with complex utility regulatory proceedings requires resources and expertise that can challenge individual mountain towns. The Mountain Community Coalition, formed by the towns of Breckenridge, Silverthorne, Frisco, Dillon, Blue River, and Keystone, and Summit County government exemplifies the power of collaboration.

Pooling resources allowed the coalition to hire technical experts from Synapse Energy Economics and legal counsel from Kaplan Kirsch, enabling deep analysis and effective intervention in the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) process. The coalition’s unified voice amplified local priorities, including:

• Accelerating electrification and energy efficiency programs.

• Addressing affordability by spreading project costs equitably across the utility’s service territory.

• Enhancing grid resilience to prevent outages during extreme weather.

As Sarah Judkins , attorney at Kaplan Kirschand representative of the coalition, noted, “We were able to negotiate a downsize of the proposed LNG (liquid natural gas) supplemental supply facility, reducing project costs and environmental impact. We also secured commitments for an electric heat pump pilot program to help overcome affordability barriers.”

This collaborative approach not only strengthened local influence but also contributed to a comprehensive settlement agreement supported by most parties involved, demonstrating how diverse stakeholders can find common ground.

Understanding Regulatory Engagement: The Public Utilities Commission as a Climate Lever

Many mountain town residents and leaders may be unfamiliar with the pivotal role public utilities commissions play in energy planning and climate outcomes. Mike Foote , Founder and Principal Attorney at Foote Environmental Law & Policy, LLC, described PUCs as “some of the most powerful state agencies that nobody has heard of.”

In Colorado, investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy must file plans—including electric resource plans, transportation electrification plans, and rate cases—with the PUC. The commission reviews these filings, considers input from intervening parties such as local governments and consumer groups, and ultimately decides on approvals and conditions.

Importantly, local governments can intervene as parties in these proceedings, enabling them to:

• Submit data requests and discovery questions to scrutinize utility proposals.
• Provide expert testimony and technical analysis.
• Participate in settlement negotiations to shape outcomes.
• Influence cost allocation to protect affordability.

However, intervention requires staff capacity, legal expertise, and financial investment. The Mountain Community Coalition’s effort cost approximately $250,000, shared among members based on greenhouse gas emissions contributions. As Burley explained, “We would not have been able to participate and engage at the level that we did without Synapse and their expertise.”

Local governments interested in regulatory engagement must weigh these resource considerations and may find coalitions essential to pooling expertise and sharing costs.

Beyond Utilities: Other Regulatory Spaces for Climate Action

While the PUC is central to energy infrastructure decisions, mountain towns can also influence climate resilience through other regulatory forums.

• Air quality regulators (the Air Quality Control Commission in Colorado) regulate emissions of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants, with direct impacts on public health and climate goals. Local governments can advocate for stronger controls on methane emissions from oil and gas operations, for example.

• Oil and gas commissions (in Colorado, the Energy and Carbon Management Commission) oversee oil and gas operations, geothermal energy, and related activities. In Colorado, local governments have concurrent siting authority over above-ground oil and gas facilities, providing another lever for community influence.

• Wildfire mitigation plans filed by utilities with regulatory agencies are increasingly critical, as wildfire risk drives costs and infrastructure vulnerability. Local governments have successfully influenced these plans to prioritize community safety and grid resilience.

As Foote noted, “Local governments have had an effective voice to make sure income-qualified and disproportionately impacted communities get their fair share of electrification infrastructure.”

Key Takeaways for Mountain Towns

Mountain towns across the West face intertwined challenges of climate change, energy transition, and infrastructure resilience. The Mountain Energy Project and the Mountain Community Coalition’s experience offer valuable lessons and actionable steps:

• Build coalitions among neighboring or impacted towns and counties to share resources, expertise, and amplify advocacy.

• Engage early and actively in utility regulatory proceedings, especially as intervening parties rather than just submitting public comments.

• Hire or partner with legal and technical experts to analyze utility filings and develop credible alternatives and arguments.

• Align utility interventions with local climate action plans, affordability goals, and resilience priorities. Tell the stories of your community and how this impacts your residents and businesses.

• Advocate for equitable cost allocation to protect residents from disproportionate rate increases.

• Monitor other regulatory venues such as air quality commissions and wildfire mitigation plan processes.

• Foster ongoing communication with utilities to co-design programs like non-pipeline alternatives and electrification pilots.

• Utilize existing networks and organizations focused on climate and energy advocacy to stay informed and coordinate efforts.

Mountain communities hold a unique position at the confluence of natural resources and economic opportunity. By collaborating with utilities and regulators, they can help shape an energy future that is cleaner, more resilient, and equitable. As Judkins reflected, “This is the future of gas planning as we try to move off natural gas and toward electrification. We want this to be a success story here that others can follow.”

The path forward requires commitment, expertise, and partnership—but as the Mountain Community Coalition shows, it is possible to turn complex regulatory processes into opportunities for local climate leadership and lasting impact.

For mountain towns seeking to get involved, the first step is to connect with peers in neighboring communities and regional climate coalitions, identify upcoming utility filings or regulatory actions, and consider how local voices and expertise can influence decisions that affect their shared environment and future.